There are many types of relationships—with your wife, husband, children, parents, siblings, neighbours and friends. Some people hate each other but that too is a kind of relationship. All these have emerged based on certain needs—physical, mental, emotional, social, or financial, and you establish relationships based on your needs. If that need is not fulfilled, the relationship doesn’t survive.
Today our lives have become complex and we are constantly shifting from one type of relationship to another. One moment you are on the phone with your business partner and the next moment you are talking to your wife. If you treat your wife like you treat your business partner, you are in big trouble. If you treat your business partner like your wife, again you’re in trouble. One needs to constantly juggle to keep these relationships going but it all depends on how many balls you’ve picked up to juggle. If you just have one, it’s easy. If you have ten, then it’s complex because you don’t want to drop any ball.
There is another way to exist experientially, where one can exist without any relationships. One feels complete within themselves and nothing else matters. But right now, for most people, the quality of their relationships decides the quality of their life. Let’s see how we can have beautiful relationships, every second of our lives. If you give it some thought, you’ll see that all you’re trying to do is chase happiness by building different types of relationships. You make friends, get married, have children… all for that one goal. But this doesn’t always result in the desired happiness.
If you want to make relationships beautiful, it’s important to turn inward and looks at yourself deeply. Then looking at someone else doesn’t matter. If you become a source of joy for yourself, and your relationships are all about sharing that joy, not demanding it from someone else, you’ll feel wonderful. There is nobody in the world who would have a problem with you sharing your glee with them. But today it’s become all about getting as much as you can from others. Relationships have become a problem because we are not using them to enhance our lives. Rather, we’re simply trying to fill the voids that have been created in our lives.
Remember one thing, if you make your relationship all about expectations, there will be constant trouble. Instead, try and offer yourself to the other person and see how fantastic everything seems.